Allusions In Hamlet Research Paper

William Shakespeare was the most famous and talented playwright of his time. His brilliant tales of kings, murders, and romance attracted people from all different regions to come watch Shakespeare’s theatrical performances. One of Shakespeare’s most famous tragedies, Hamlet, told the tale of a young prince who was depressed over the death of his father, the King of Denmark. Shortly after the death of Hamlet’s father, the Queen quickly remarried her dead husband’s brother, Claudius. When a ghost appeared to Hamlet in the form of his father, the ghost told Hamlet that he had not died of natural causes, but he was murdered instead. Shakespeare continues on to use the character of his play to tell the mystery of who murdered Hamlet’s father and

For example, in Act II, Scene II, Hamlet references Jephthah, a biblical king, to Polonlius. “O Jephthah, judge of Israel, what a treasure hadst thou” (Shakespeare 375). Since Jephthah sacrificed his own daughter, Hamlet was alluding to Polonius how Hamlet could take Polonius’ daughter, Ophelia, away from him. Polonius then saw Opehlia as the cause to the insane behavior of Hamlet. This madness had a method to it; Hamlet was going to find out the truth of his father’s murder by making everyone think he was mentally

Look you now, what follows:

Here is your husband; like a mildew'd ear,

Blasting his wholesome brother” (Shakespeare 54-66).

Hamlet describes his father as a man with the curls of Hyperion, a head like Jove, and as the god of war, Mercury. In contrast to his father, Hamlet then told his mother that instead of having a god like husband, now she had a moldy, disgusting ear. This mythological allusion showed the disgust that he had for his mother and the hatred that he felt because of the dishonorable man who remarried his mother.

Lastly, Shakespeare uses biblical and mythological allusions to present the judgment that Hamlet possessed. For example, in Act I, Scene IV, Hamlet uses the mythological allusion of the Nemean lion to make judgment of what he had just encountered. In this scene, Hamlet had just met the ghost of his father. The ghost did not speak to Hamlet, but the sight of the ghost made Shakespeare able to add this mythological allusion. In Greek mythology, this strong creature was courageously slain by Hercules. As a result of this victory, Hercules wore around his body the lion’s skin instead of his armor.

“My fate cried out

And makes each pretty artery in this body

As hardy as the Nemeon lion’s